Conchas Lake- New Mexico State Park Series · Introduction Conchas Lake State Park was established...
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Introduction Conchas Lake State Park was established in 1955 and named after the Conchas River, one of the tributaries of the Canadian River. It is 24 mi north of Newkirk and 31 mi northwest of Tucumcari on NM-104 and NM-129 (Fig. 1). Conchas is Spanish for shells and was applied to a group of Indians living in the area when Spanish explorers arrived in the 17th century. The word conchas may be a corrupted name that is confused with the Spanish word conchos, a term also used to describe the Native American tribes in northern New Mexico (Julyan, 1996). The dam that formed Conchas Lake was the 17th dam in the country built by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (Fig. 2; Young, 1984). One of the state's oldest dams, it was completed in 1939 to control floods, store water for irrigation and local supplies, and assist in local economic recovery from the Depression (Welsh, 1985). More than 3,000 people were employed to build this concrete and earthen dam that is 235 ft high and 1,250 ft long. The lake has a reservoir capacity of 528,951 acre-ft of water and sediment. It extends 14 mi upstream of the Canadian River and 11 mi upstream of the Conchas River. The total cost of land purchases, construction, and maintenance amounted to nearly $15.8 million (Welsh, 1985; Young, 1984). Water from the lake is used to irrigate 41,400 acres of farmland in the Tucumcari Irrigation Project and travels through 300 mi of canals and laterals (Fig. 3). Accommodations and facilities Conchas Lake State Park ranges in elevation from 4,150 to 4,250 ft above sea level and occupies 1,160 acres of land and 9,000 acres of water (surface). Only three sites are administered by the State Parks Department (North, Central, and South; Fig. 4). A visitor's center (open on weekdays) and day-use site are administered by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Most of the land surrounding Conchas Lake is private, but all the water is open to the public. Sandy beaches are separated by rocky beaches and offer a diversity appreciated by both swimmers and fisherman. Coves abound and offer solitude even during busy holiday weekends. Piñon pine, juniper, mesquite, and yucca cover the hillslopes and mesas surrounding the lake, and various wild flowers and cacti, including cholla and prickly pear, are common. Falcons, mountain bluebirds, quail, dove, ducks, and geese are plentiful (Table 1). A few bald eagles and Peregrine falcons inhabit the area as well. Antelope and deer roam the countryside. Recreational activities include hiking, picnicking, camping, swimming, fishing, boating, sailing (Fig. 5), scuba diving, and water skiing. Camp and picnic sites are along the lake as well as on hills and mesas. Launching ramps for boats and a marina are available (Fig. 2). The State Park Office is located at the North Recreation Area. The lake is stocked by the State Game and Fish with walleye pike, small- and large-mouth bass, catfish, crappie, bluegill, and northern pike. A playground, golf course, lodge, seaplane landing area, paved airport, full restroom facilities with showers, and water and electrical hookups are available. Scuba diving is popular. The Boy Scouts of America operate an aquatics camp along the lake to train the scouts in water activities. Cannon Air Force Base also has a small recreation area for military personnel. History Arrowheads, stone tools, and pottery shards remind us that prehistoric man probably inhabited the area long ago. Arrowheads found in bison now extinct indicate that Folsom man, named for the town in Union County, lived north of Conchas Lake about 8,000-10,000 yrs ago. Petroglyphs found in sandstones along some of the bays and inlets of Conchas Lake also testify to the presence of early inhabitants, most of whom were primarily hunters and gatherers. One petroglyph has been moved to a building near the Army Corps of Engineers administration building north of the spillway. The first Spaniard in the area was probably Don Antonio de Valverde who traveled along the Canadian River to Kansas in 1719 (Scott, 1986). Later, Spanish explorers settled in the area that was 76 August 1997 New Mexico Geology
Transcript of Conchas Lake- New Mexico State Park Series · Introduction Conchas Lake State Park was established...
IntroductionConchas Lake State Park was established in 1955 and
named after the Conchas River, one of the tributaries ofthe Canadian River. It is 24 mi north of Newkirk and 31mi northwest of Tucumcari on NM-104 and NM-129 (Fig.1). Conchas is Spanish for shells and was applied to a groupof Indians living in the area when Spanish explorers arrivedin the 17th century. The word conchas may be a corruptedname that is confused with the Spanish word conchos, aterm also used to describe the Native Amer ican tribes innorthern New Mexico (Julyan, 1996).The dam that formed Conchas Lake was the 17th dam in
the country built by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (Fig. 2;Young, 1984). One of the state's oldest dams, it wascompleted in 1939 to control floods, store water forirrigation and local supplies, and assist in local economicrecovery from the Depression (Welsh, 1985). More than3,000 people were employed to build this concrete andearthen dam that is 235 ft high and 1,250 ft long. The lake hasa reservoir capacity of 528,951 acre-ft of water and sediment.It extends 14 mi upstream of the Canadian River and 11 miupstream of the Conchas River. The total cost of landpurchases, construction, and maintenance amounted tonearly $15.8 million (Welsh, 1985; Young, 1984). Water fromthe lake is used to irrigate 41,400 acres of farmland in theTucumcari Irrigation Project and travels through 300 mi ofcanals and laterals (Fig. 3).
Accommodations and facilitiesConchas Lake State Park ranges in elevation from 4,150 to
4,250 ft above sea level and occupies 1,160 acres of land and9,000 acres of water (surface). Only three sites areadministered by the State Parks Department (North,Central, and South; Fig. 4). A visitor's center (open onweekdays) and day-use site are administered by the U.S.Army Corp of Engineers. Most of the land surroundingConchas Lake is private, but all the water is open to thepublic. Sandy beaches are separated by rocky beaches andoffer a diversity appreciated by both swimmers andfishe rman. Coves abound and offer solitude even during busyholiday weekends.Piñon pine, juniper, mesquite, and yucca cover the
hillslopes and mesas surrounding the lake, and variouswild flowers and cacti, including cholla and prickly pear,are common. Falcons, mountain bluebirds, quail, dove,ducks, and geese are plentiful (Table 1). A few bald eaglesand Peregrine falcons inhabit the area as well. Antelope anddeer roam the countryside.
Recreational activities include hiking, picnicking, camping,swimming, fishing, boating, sailing (Fig. 5), scuba diving,and water skiing. Camp and picnic sites are along the lake aswell as on hills and mesas. Launching ramps for boats and amarina are available (Fig. 2) . The State Park Off ice islocated at the North Recreation Area. The lake is stockedby the State Game and Fish with walleye pike, small- andlarge-mouth bass, catfish, crappie, bluegill, and northernpike. A playground, golf course, lodge, seaplane landingarea, paved airport, full restroom facilities with showers,and water and electrical hookups are available. Scubadiving is popular. The Boy Scouts of America operate anaquatics camp along the lake to train the scouts in wateractivities. Cannon Air Force Base also has a small recreationarea for military personnel.
History
Arrowheads, stone tools, and pottery shards remind us thatprehistoric man probably inhabited the area long ago.Arrowheads found in bison now extinct indicate thatFolsom man, named for the town in Union County, livednorth of Conch as Lake about 8,000-10,000 yrs ago.Petroglyphs found in sandstones along some of the bays andinlets of Conchas Lake also testify to the presence of earlyinhabitants, most of whom were primarily hunters andgatherers. One petroglyph has been moved to a buildingnear the Army Corps of Engineers administration buildingnorth of the spillway.The first Spaniard in the area was probably Don Antonio
de Valverde who traveled along the Canadian River to Kansasin 1719 (Scott, 1986). Later, Spanish explorers settled in the areathat was
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once part of the Pablo Montoya or Baca land grant. In 1867John Watts acquired title to the Baca land grant andtransferred it to Wilson Waddington in 1872. Waddingtonconveyed use of the land to the Consolidated Land, Cattle,and Wool Growing Co. This was the beginning of the Bell Ranch.
GeologyConchas Lake State Park is in the Pecos Valley section of
the great Plains physiographic province. It lies on the northedge of the Llano Estacado or "staked plains" of the Great Plains
physiographic province. This feature extends from the PecosRiver on the west to Palo Duro Canyon in Texas on the eastand southward to Hobbs, New Mexico, covering an area ofabout 32,000 mi2 (Reeves, 1972). The origin and meaning ofLlano Estacado is controversial. Some claim that the namerefers to natural stockades created along the rough rim of thisplateau, which rises 150 ft above the adjacent plains andriver valleys. Estacada is Spanish for palisade or fence, andcanyons along the rim became famous as pasture for cattle and
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horses. Other explanations for the term range from the tallnative yuccas resembling stakes at a distance to tales ofIndians and later wagon trains from the east marking theirroutes across this vast, featureless plateau with stakes (Julyan,1996).
Most of the rocks surrounding the lake, including thosethat form the bedrock of the dam, belong to the UpperTriassic Chinle Group. The Chinle Group consists ofalternating layers of red -brown to maroon to graymudstone, siltstone, and sandstone that were deposited incontinental fluvial and lacustrine environments about 220million years ago. The Chinle Group is divided into five formationsin this area: Santa Rosa, Garita Creek, Trujillo, Bull Canyon,and Redonda Formations (Lucas, 1995). The medium- to light-gray, massive to cross-bedded sandstone exposed at the damwas called the Logan Sandstone by earlier geologists; but theunit was never formerly described or named, and morerecent investigations indicate that it belongs to theTrujillo Formation that extends into west Texas (Lucas et al.,1985; Lucas, 1995; Bureau of Economic Geology, 1977; Finch andWright, 1983). The crossbeds in the sandstone are consistentwith fluvial deposition. Mudcracks indicate that sometimesthe sandstones were exposed to drying (Fig. 6). The redcolor is produced by the oxidation of iron in the mineralsforming the sandstone; this oxidation is common to sea-sonally arid environments such as existed at the time theChinle was deposited. Sections of the core drilled andrecovered during construction of the dam are on displaynear the Army Corps of Engineers administration building,north of the spillway.
Channel deposits of gravel and sand derived from theglaciated terrains in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains duringthe Pleistocene are found along the Canadian River aboveand below the dam (Spiegel, 1972a, b, c).
The Canadian River formed during the Pleistocene afterthe Wisconsin glaciation. The headwaters are in the RockyMountains in Las Animas County, Colorado, northwest ofRaton, New Mexico. The river flows southeastward fromthe headwaters to Raton, where it flows south toConchas Lake State Park. At Conchas Lake the river flowsdue east to Ute Lake State Park and eastward into westTexas and Oklahoma. For most of the river's course in NewMexico, it is a sinuous, meander belt that rarelyexceeds 750 ft in
width (Kessler, 1972). Floods since 1938 have eroded anddegraded the river rather than deposited new streamdeposits (Kessler, 1972).
Summary
Conchas Lake State Park is one of several lakes in NewMexico that offers hiking, picnicking, camping, swimming,fishing, boating, sailing, scuba diving, and water skiing.Only three sites are administered by the State ParksDepartment (North, Central, and South); most of the landsurrounding Conchas Lake is private, but the water is open tothe public. The park was established in 1955 and namedafter the Conchas River, one of the tributaries of theCanadian River. The dam was the 17th in the country built bythe U. S. Army Corp of Engineers and impounds Conchas Lake,which extends 14 mi upstream of the Canadian River and 11mi upstream of the Conchas River.
Acknowledgments —Special thanks to personnel ofConchas Lake State Park and U. S. Army Corp of Engineersfor discussions and information on the area. Adrian Huntand Spencer Lucas reviewed this manuscript. CharlesChapin, Director, New Mexico Bureau of Mines and MineralResources, is acknowledged for his support and encouragement.
References
Bureau of Economic Geology, 1977, Geologic atlas of Texas, Tucumcari sheet:Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas (Austin), 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Finch, W. I., and Wright, J. C., 1983, Measured stratigraphic sections of uranium-bearing Upper Triassic rocks in eastern New Mexico, west Texas, and theOklahoma Panhandle with brief discussion of stratigraphic problems: U. S.Geological Survey, Open-file Report 83-701, 118 pp.
Julyan, R., 1996, The place names of New Mexico: University of New MexicoPress, Albuquerque, 385 pp.
Kessler, L. G., II, 1972, Channel geometry, development, and variation, SouthCanadian River, eastern New Mexico and West Texas; in Kelley, V. C., andTrauger, F. D. (eds.), East-central New Mexico: New Mexico GeologicalSociety, Guidebook 23, pp. 165-167.
Lucas, S. G., 1995, Triassic stratigraphy and chronology in New Mexico: NewMexico Geology, v. 17, no. 1, pp. 8-13, 17.
Lucas, S. G., Hunt, A. P., and Morales, M., 1985, Stratigraphic nomenclature andcorrelation of Triassic rocks of east-central New Mexico: A preliminary report; inLucas, S. G., and Zidek, J. (eds.), Santa Rosa–Tucumcari Region: NewMexico Geological Society, Guidebook 36, pp. 171-184.
Reeves, C. C., Jr., 1972, Tertiary–Quaternary stratigraphy and geomorphology ofwest Texas and southeastern New Mexico; in Kelley, V. C., and Trauger, F. D.(eds.), East-central New Mexico: New Mexico Geological Society, Guidebook23, pp. 108-117.
Scott, G. R., 1986, Historic trails map of the Raton and Springer 30' x 60' quad-rangles, New Mexico and Colorado: U. S. Geological Survey, MiscellaneousMap I-1641, 10 pp.
Spiegel, Z., 1972a, Problems of the Triassic stratigraphy in the Canadian Riverbasin, Quay, San Miguel, and Guadalupe Counties, New Mexico; in Kelley, V.C., and Trauger, F. D. (eds.), East-central New Mexico: New Mexico GeologicalSociety, Socorro, Guidebook 23, pp. 79-83.
Spiegel, Z., 1972b, Cenozoic geology of the Canadian River valley, New Mexico; inKelley, V. C., and Trauger, F. D. (eds.), East-central New Mexico: NewMexico Geological Society, Socorro, Guidebook 23, pp. 118-119.
Spiegel, Z., 1972c, Engineering problems at dam and reservoir sites in east-cen-tral New Mexico; in Kelley, V. C., and Trauger, F. D. (eds.), East-central NewMexico: New Mexico Geological Society, Socorro, Guidebook 23, pp. 184-186.
Young, J. V., 1984, The state parks of New Mexico: University of New MexicoPress, Albuquerque, 160 pp.
Welsh, M., 1985, A mission in the desert Albuquerque district: U. S. GovernmentPrinting Office, Region 8, 262 pp.
—Virginia T. McLemore
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